290/2018 • 22 DECEMBER, 2018 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Pope tells predator priests to turn themselves in The pope has made child sexual abuse in the church the center of his annual speech
The pope has made child sexual abuse in the church the center of his annual speech to the Vatican bureaucracy. It comes as he will convene bishops to address a slew of child abuse scandals that have damaged the church.
Pope Francis demanded on Friday that predator priests turn themselves in and vowed that the Catholic Church will never again cover up child abuse allegations. Francis was giving his annual pre-Christmas address to Vatican bureaucrats at a time the church has been confronted with revelations of decades of child sexual abuse and cover-ups around the globe. Read more: Pope adviser urges rethink on Catholic celibacy "Let it be clear that before these abominations the church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes," he said. "To those who abuse minors I would say this: convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice." Pope urges victims to come forward Francis also urged victims to come forward and thanked the media for bringing to light sexual abuse and cover-ups. Read more: German Catholic Church reveals scale of sexual abuse "The church asks that people not be silent, but bring it objectively to light, since the greater scandal in this matter is that of cloaking the truth," he said. "I myself would like to give heartfelt thanks to those media professionals who were honest and objective and sought to unmask these predators and to make their victimsʼ voices heard," he said. The pope lambasted consecrated men who abuse their power and position to take advantage of vulnerable people
"They perform abominable acts yet continue to exercise their ministry as if nothing had happened. They have no fear of God or his judgement, but only of being found out and unmasked," he said. "Often behind their boundless amiability, impeccable activity and angelic faces, they shamelessly conceal a vicious wolf ready to devour innocent souls." Read more: Illinois accuses 500 more Catholic clergy of child sexual abuse Sexual abuse on a global scaleThe address reflected the seriousness of a slew of sexual abuse scandals that have hit the church this year from the United States and Germany to Chile and Australia. Francis came under fire earlier this year when he defended a bishop in Chile accused of covering up sex abuse scandals, only to later launch an investigation and accept the bishopʼs resignation. He ultimatelydefrocked three Chilean bishops. "It is undeniable that some in the past, out of irresponsibility, disbelief, lack of training, inexperience, or spiritual and human short-sightedness, treated many cases without the seriousness and promptness that was due," he said. "That must never happen again. This is the choice and the decision of the whole church." The address comes two months before the pontiff convenes bishops for a conference on responding to sexual abuse during which the "church will restate her firm resolve to pursue unstintingly a path of purification," Francis said.
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to step down
UN Security Council approves Yemen ceasefire monitors for Hodeidah
Germanyʼs last black hard coal mine ProsperHaniel closes
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will step down at the end of February, he announced in a letter to US President Donald Trump. Trump tweeted the news on Thursday, saying Mattis was "retiring, with distinction, at the end of February." The retired Marine Corps four-star general was regarded as a stabilizing figure in Trumpʼs often-changing Cabinet. The Trump administration has had the highest senior-level staff turnover of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution.
Brief shutdown at London’s Gatwick Airport after another drone scare Flights at Londonʼs Gatwick Airport were briefly halted again Friday evening due to a suspected drone flying near the area. The precaution was taken for around an hour before flights resumed. "Airfield movements were suspended while we investigated this as safety remains our main priority. The military measures we have in place at the airport have provided us with reassurance necessary to re-open our airfield," the airport said.
The UN envoy for Yemen had urged the rapid deployment of monitors as "an essential part of the confidence" for the implementation of theceasefire agreement signed by Yemenʼs government and Houthi rebelsin Stockholm earlier in the month. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is to "establish and deploy, for an initial period of 30 days from the adoption of this resolution, an advance team to begin monitoring and to support and facilitate the immediate implementation of the Stockholm agreement."
For decades, the Prosper-Haniel colliery was the biggest employer in Bottrop, a coal town in the industrial Ruhr Valley. On Friday the mine was formally closed in the presence of miners and dignitaries from across the country and beyond. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received the last piece of local coal from one of the miners who had brought it to the surface.